Canadian travellers are savvier than ever when it comes to finding the best vacation value, participating in loyalty programs, and are expected to travel in greater numbers this summer, according to top travel executives from Best Western International, CAA and the Hotel Association of Canada at the seventh annual Leisure Travel Summit in Toronto last week.
The iconic Ritz-Carlton, Montreal has reopened after an extensive $200 million restoration combining the latest amenities with the splendour of the past. The Grande Dame of Sherbrooke Street is back in all her glory. “We are extremely proud to reopen this emblem of the very best Montreal has to offer. “said Andrew Torriani, president and general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal.
Canada"s tourism industry is in crisis; plain and simple. Funding for the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), Canada"s national marketing agency, has declined from $100 million in 2001 to $72 million in 2012 and $58.5 million in 2013. The cuts come when Canada faces increasing competition from international competitors including the new $200 million Brand United States Program - $20 million of which is being spent in Canada.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), along with Silver Hotel Group, today announced the debut of its new destination sensation brand, Aloft Hotels, in the Greater Toronto Area with the opening of Aloft Vaughan Mills. Located in Vaughan, the hotel is the second Aloft hotel in Canada, joining the Aloft Montreal Airport which debuted as the world's first in 2008.
Toronto—Expectations are running high as the debut of the eagerly anticipated Ignite Business Event Expo (iBE) is only weeks away. The two-day trade show, taking place at the Direct Energy Centre, June 12-13, will feature a number of new initiatives that are bound to shake up the status quo of a meeting industry event. Listen to a veritable roster of Canadian marquee speakers within a showcase format, featuring the inspiring stories of Craig and Marc Kielburger, Dr. Greg Wells, Patricia Lovett-Reid and Sonia Verma. Kevin O"Leary, popular panelist on the hit CBC show, Dragon"s Den delivers his hard-hitting analysis on business, the value of work and the freedom of money.
Kaba, the provider of ILCO and Saflok electronic locks , announced that "Les Hôtels JARO" in Quebec City, Canada retrofitted five of its properties with Kaba"s RFID locking systems. The hotel management company implemented ILCO 790 locks at three of its hotels, and Saflok RT locks with the Messenger LENS wireless online system at two other properties. Click here for more information on Kaba"s wide range of electronic locks and access control solutions.
Dominion Grand Hotel Group Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Bernd Bohl to the position of general manager of the recently acquired Huntingdon Hotel & Suites in Victoria, BC. Trained in Europe, Bohl brings over 30 years of experience in management positions within the hospitality industry across three continents: North America, Africa and Europe. Recently, Bohl was general manager of The Yorkland Hotel in Toronto, ON. Previous general manager positions in Canada include The Grand Okanagan Lakefront Resort & Conference Centre in Kelowna, BC; Hotel Voyager Inn & Spruce Grove Inn in Banff, AB; and Quality Suites Toronto Airport in Toronto, ON. The Dominion Grand Hotel Group Inc. was launched in 2010 as a division of Dominion Grand Development Group, a privately held Canadian company based in Vancouver, BC with offices in Vancouver, Calgary AB, Toronto ON, Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai, established to create shareholder value through direct ownership of real estate assets and real estate related service businesses. Dominion Grand Hotel Group Inc. was formed to provide ownership and operation of certain hotel assets and to provide hotel management services to third party owners of hotels in Canada and internationally.
The median salaries for comparable position at hotels across Canada are higher in central Canada, when compared nationally, and to the western and Atlantic regions, according to a survey by HVS Executive Search. The HVS Canadian Hotel Property Study 2012 includes compensation data from over 230 hotel properties across Canada. The findings in this first-ever report, the largest of its kind,
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced plans to introduce its rapidly expanding Four Points brand to Kelowna, British Columbia. Four Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airport will open in Spring of 2013, just minutes from baggage claim. Owned by Argus Properties Ltd. and managed by Pacrim Hospitality Services, the newly constructed hotel will be the first Four Points hotel in Kelowna and the brand’s fifth in British Columbia.
The median salaries for comparable position at hotels across Canada are higher in central Canada, when compared nationally, and to the western and Atlantic regions, according to a survey by HVS Executive Search. The HVS Canadian Hotel Property Study 2012, the largest of its kind, includes compensation data from over 230 hotel properties across Canada.
The Canadian North is a distinct and intriguing hotel market. In stark contrast to the volatile market conditions experienced all over Southern Canada, hoteliers in Northern Canadian markets reported resilient operating performances even throughout the global recession, largely because the well-diversified economy of the North provides a solid base of lodging-demand generators. The two major cities in the North, namely Whitehorse and Yellowknife, are home to the majority of the hotels in the area. Although these two cities share many similarities, there are noticeable differences between the two that have resulted in significant disparities in hotel operating performance. Hotel operators in the North face unique challenges, but the outlook for the hotel markets in Northern Canada continues to improve.
"The Algonquin Hotel & Golf Course has been owned by the provincial government for 40 years, and the iconic resort facility has served visitors for more than a century," said Trevor Holder, New Brunswick's culture, tourism and healthy living minister. "It continues to have enormous tourism appeal and potential, however, it is in need of refurbishment and a new marketing approach. The time has come to place it in the hands of an experienced team of new managers who have solid turnaround success credentials within the tourism destination industry."
As president and chief operating officer, Glennie will be responsible for the global operations of all three leading hotel brands and other entities within the FRHI portfolio, and will also provide direction, guidance and leadership support in the areas of financial performance, strategic planning, and owner relations. With the global hotel leader looking to aggressively grow its brands, Glennie will also work closely with the company's development team on executing a new growth, development and expansion strategy that places a greater emphasis on acquiring, repositioning, and securing long-term management contracts. Most recently, Glennie held the position of president real estate & development for FRHI and was responsible for directing the company's global growth and development strategy, asset management activity, and real estate functions. Prior to this, he also served as the company's executive vice president, real estate, where he spearheaded several programs and initiatives related to the company's hotel real estate portfolio. Prior to joining FRHI in 2005, Glennie was president and CEO of Ripplewood Lodging and the Phoenix Resort company. Before this, he was employed by Boca Resorts, Inc. as president of the Boca Raton Resort & Club, and senior vice president, resort operations for the group. Earlier in his career he held a variety of management positions with RockResorts and also served as manager of New York's Waldorf-Astoria. Glennie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Administration from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.
With an impressive twenty years of experience under his belt, Kari Koskela returns to Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, where he took on his first hotel job following graduation from the renowned Hotel Management School Les Roches in Switzerland. He’s come a long way from Assistant Chief Steward, earning his new role as Hotel Manager, with many hotels, destinations and increasing management roles along the way. Kari has enjoyed various positions with a six other Four Seasons properties since including those in Nevis, Tokyo, Seattle, Toronto and Las Vegas. With a focus on food and beverage, Kari’s career path has aligned well with his extracurricular interests. Kari is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. In 1996 he returned Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver as an Assistant Manager at Chartwell before continuing to explore the world with an appointment as Consulting Restaurant Manager with Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so. In 1997 he was promoted to Studio Cafe Restaurant Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, then dipped his toe in the catering pool as Catering Sales Manager in Toronto. In 1999 he was promoted to Assistant Director of Food & Beverage at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. In 2001 Kari was appointed director of food & veverage with Delta Pinnacle Hotel in Vancouver and became its director of operations later that year. He returned to Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver in July 2003 as director of food & beverage, and in 2005 transferred laterally to Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. Kari’s career continued to grow as he gained experience as a hotel manager with Ritz Carlton Washington in 2007 and as general manager with Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver where he has been for the past two years. Kari notes his time with in Washington during the years that marked the campaign and historical inauguration of President Barack Obama as an inimitable life highlight. An opportunity to provide first class hotel experiences for the President and many high profile guests took his skills to a new level.
Dana discovered her enthusiasm for cooking while studying Psychology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. During her studies, she craved a career that combined her love for food and travel and a desire to perform within a team environment. Dana soon discovered her culinary cravings and enrolled in the culinary program at Canadore College. Her apprenticeship began at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge where the Executive Chef immediately recognized a natural talent; offering Dana the option to complete her apprenticeship at the resort. Leaping at this opportunity, Dana enrolled in the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's professional cooking program.
The Canadian hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics for the week of 11-17 March, according to data from STR. In year-over-year measurements, the Canadian hotel industry’s occupancy ended the week with a 2.1-percent increase to 59.9 percent, its average daily rate rose 2.7 percent to CAD$122.37 and its revenue per available room was up 4.8 percent to CAD$73.25.
The Hotel Association of Canada congratulates Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his success in China over the past several days specifically recognizing the positive steps made with regards to tourism in Canada. The launch of the CTC’s 2012 tourism marketing campaign, the opening of the marketing centre in Beijing and the expansion of an air transport agreement that will increase the flow of people between Canada and China are all positive initiatives to spur tourism growth in Canada.
Relocating from Comox Valley, BC, Le Sage has spent the past 24 years working in management roles at a number of Vancouver Island hotels, including the Quality Resort Bayside, Parksville (director of sales and marketing, front office manager); Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites, Victoria (executive assistant manager, director of food and beverage, food and beverage manager, duty manager); and Best Western Plus, The Westerly Hotel & Convention Centre, Courtenay (general manager). In addition to her experience in the hotelier industry, Le Sage is heavily involved in her community. Some of Le Sage’s affiliations include the Rotary Club of Courtney (active board member), the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation (foundation member), Tourism Victoria (past director) and the BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association (past chair).
A native of Munich, Germany, Andre began his career in hospitality as a culinary apprentice in 1977 working for top toques in Munich, Germany. Following his apprenticeship, Andre joined the Inter-Continental Hotels kitchen brigade as Sous Chef at the Hotel InterContinental in Berlin, Germany. In 1990, Andre headed to the Great White North as Executive Chef of the InterContinental, Toronto. Then into the United States as Regional Director, Food & Beverage for InterContinental Hotels where he oversaw the 5 properties in New York City.
Most recently Soane was with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts as General Manager of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, he has also served as Chairman of the Board of Tourism Victoria and is currently serving his third year as Chairman of the Board of Tourism Whistler. Starting his career with culinary training at Westminster College in London, Roger Soane spent the first 16 years as of his career as a chef--becoming an Executive Chef with Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts--before moving in to senior management. In his dynamic career Soane has worked with some of the top companies in the hotel industry in Europe, Asia, North America and the Caribbean. Soane is very excited to be joining the hospitable team at Nita Lake Lodge and to be staying in Whistler, a destination he and his family have come to love in the three and a half years since they arrived.